From: GLAADSFBA@aol.com
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 1995 03:12:21 -0400
Subject: GLAAD MEDIA WATCH, April 14
M E D I A W A T C H
for April 14, 1995
by
A L K I E L W A S S E R
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation,
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
SEEING RED
Singer Whitney Houston appears on the cover of the May '95 issue of "Redbook"
magazine. Beneath her photo, the headline reads: "A miscarriage, a stalker,
ugly rumors . . . What a rotten year taught her about love." Can you guess
what those "ugly rumors" are?
Inside the magazine, Ann Elliot's feature article provides a few clues.
About Houston, Elliot writes: "There are still the annoying questions about
her sexuality. Even though married to (Bobby) Brown -- and despite her
frequent flat-out denials -- celebrity magazines and TV tabloid shows keep
rehashing rumors that Houston's true love is really her assistant, Robyn
Crawford, a girlhood pal . . . ." Elliot goes on to compare this "baseless"
gossip to rumors about Houston's parenting. Seemingly, Elliot sees little
difference between the suggestion that someone is a "lesbian" or the
suggestion that they might be a "bad mother." The author treats BOTH rumors
as accusations of evil -- as "bad news" and "press harassment," to use
Elliot's words.
The bias exhibited here is a classic one in magazine journalism. From the
homophobe's perspective, questioning someone's heterosexuality is the same as
questioning their morality. Homosexuality -- but NEVER homophobia -- is
treated as something "bad," "rotten," or "ugly."
Elliot also writes: "When the gay rumors kicked in, she (Houston) seemed to
take her cousin Dionne Warwick's advice: 'Ignore it; do not dignify it.' As
she herself says: 'Will it make anyone's life better knowing what is or
isn't true about someone that they don't even know?'."
As a woman who now earns her salary by hosting cheesy "infomercials," selling
fraudulent "psychic" services to the public, Dionne Warwick is in no position
to give advice on the subject of "dignity." But, more troubling still is
Houston's contention that knowing the truth about someone's sexual identity
would not "make anyone's life better." Nothing could be further from the
truth.
If the public figures who create and inhabit our mass media would provide
fairer and more accurate images of homosexuality, it could make EVERYONE'S
life better.
Send feedback to Kate White, Editor-in-Chief, "Redbook," 224 West 57th
Street, New York, NY 10019.
"60 MINUTES" AND SAFER SEX
On April 19th, "60 Minutes" -- one of the most-watched news programs on
television -- aired "The Second Wave," a segment examining rising HIV rates
in the gay community. Hosted by Ed Bradely and produced by John Hamlin, the
segment exhibited a number of flaws, but managed to convey several good
points as well.
On the positive side, this news segment did not rely on any misinformed
homophobes to provide "balance" in reporting on gay sexuality. Instead, the
piece included a range of issues, drawn from a psychologist, an AIDS
physician, a gay activist, and an AIDS educator. Collectively, this group
provided Ed Bradley with a number of important perspectives on HIV and
sexuality. The psychologist, for example, told Bradely how our society
systematically under-values homosexuality; heterosexuals would never be asked
to "just say no" to sex in the way that lesbians and gay men are expected to
be abstinent.
On the negative side, the segment served as a forum for an AIDS reporter for
"The Village Voice," who made this emphatic claim: "The number one reason
that gay men are having unsafe sex is because they're in love, and they want
to have that kind of physical intimacy that people who are in love have."
Actually, the variables that encourage unsafe sex are rather complex, and
are not rooted in the individual gay man. Certainly, for example, this
country's continued unwillingness to provide comprehensive (and
non-homophobic) sex education in our public schools is a significant factor
in the promotion of HIV infection.
It was not his guests, however, but "60 Minutes" host Ed Bradely who made the
most offensive statements. He opened the segment by warning viewers: "The
story you are about to see contains some explicit language in talking about
gay sexuality. We thought it only fair to caution you before we begin."
Yet, the segment never included anything more "explicit" than the phrase
"anal sex." Such warning statements are utterly homophobic, and are seldom
(if ever) applied to similar reports on HETEROsexuality.
Bradely also stated that "unsafe sex is a subject few gay men have been
willing to talk about." Actually, it's a subject that few television
networks, elected politicians, or high school textbooks have been willing to
talk about. Bradley's blame for silence is sorely misplaced.
Ultimately, Bradley's tone promoted the image of "careless" gay men. For
example, he said "it sounds crazy" that any gay man would have unprotected
sex in the age of AIDS. Yet, Bradely never mentioned how "crazy" it sounds
that -- 14 years into the AIDS epidemic -- his own television network does
not accept prime-time condom advertising, or offer public service
announcements featuring gay men, or regularly include positive images of
young gays in any of its children's programming.
Send comments to Ed Bradley and John Hamlin, "60 Minutes," 555 West 57th
Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10019.
FOOL'S GOLD
Recently, the manufacturers of "Gold Bond Medicated Powder" were asked if
they would refrain from buying air time during homophobic radio broadcasts.
The company's marketing manager, Art Gutierrez, replied: "We, at Martin
Himmel, Inc., take great pride in the quality, honesty, and integrity of our
commercials. Although we purchase a great amount of air time on national
radio networks, and also at the local level, we have no control over the
programs on which our commercials are aired; nor do we have any influence
over the program content."
This response is a fundamental misrepresentation of the nature of the
commercial broadcasting industry. That industry is formed by the economic
pressure exerted from three sources: (1) the public (which includes
consumers), (2) the competition and (3) financial supporters (such as
investors and advertisers). Broadcasters do NOT acquire most of their
profits directly from consumers, but from advertisers. As a consequence, the
history of broadcasting is replete with examples of programming produced to
appease the interests of advertisers.
It is particularly disingenuous for a major, national advertiser to claim
powerlessness over broadcast programming. It would seem that the "honesty
and integrity" of Gold Bond's commercials is not matched by the company's
spokespersons.
Share your comments with Art Gutierrez, Marketing Manager, Martin Himmel,
Inc., P.O. Box 5479, Lake Worth, FL 33466-5479, tel. 407-585-0070, fax
407-585-0077.
HOMOPHOBIA AND THE PRESS
The Associated Press (AP) has offered a relatively encouraging follow-up to
its reporting on the murder of a gay man who appeared on the "Jenny Jones"
talk show. As part of a "Secret Admirers" segment, Scott Amedure (a gay
guest) revealed his attraction for another (reportedly heterosexual) guest,
John Schmitz; three days later, the "embarassed" and "deceived" Schmitz shot
and killed Amedure.
The first (March 11) AP report on the murder, written by Frazier Moore,
completely sidestepped homophobia. Like many reporters, Moore -- remarkably
-- failed to grasp that he was reporting on a hate-motivated crime. For
Moore, the central issue was the ethics of the talk show's producers. His
article implied (contrary to all logic) that the murder resulted from the
mere fact of the talk-show "deception."
In a follow-up story (April 9), AP reporter Jennifer Loven examines the
criticism surrounding the public debate about Amedure's murder, in which
"much of the blame fell on talk shows -- their topics, their ambush tactics."
"But gay activists and others say the debate misses the point," Loven
reports, "(that) it wasn't a talk show, but fear and revulsion toward gays,
that got Scott Amedure killed."
Loven quotes lesbian and gay community activists, whose voices were
conspicuously absent in mush of the initial coverage. She also cites hate
crimes statistics that underscore homophobia's pervasive and ravaging impact.
Curiously, however, Loven never directly mentions the role that the press
itself (including the AP) played in shaping the lop-sided debate over the
"talk show murder."
Send comments to the Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY
10020, tel. 212-621-1500, or 213-748-1200 (Los Angeles), 202-828-6422
(Washington).
AVENGING LESBIANS
KSFO -- San Francisco's new "all-conservative" talk radio station -- has
begun yet another homophobic harassment campaign. KSFO's Tom Kahm has
devoted several hours of his morning show to bashing the Lesbian Avengers.
"I'm gonna put you off the map," Kahm shouted, "that's what I'm gonna do.
And so are the fellow posse members of this program." Kahm also gave out
the phone number for the Lesbian Avenger's hotline and encouraged his
listeners to flood the service with calls. The Lesbian Avengers have since
received numerous hate calls, including several death threats.
Kahm's on-air "posse" is made up of listeners whom he encourages to carry
guns. Members "sign up" with Kahm, and receive a serial number and a
"Citizen's Handbook."
In just the few months since the station inaugurated its Right Wing format,
KSFO talk-show hosts have waged similar harassment campaigns against several
lesbian and gay activists and community groups, including ACT UP/Golden Gate
and GLAAD/San Francisco. KSFO is owned and operated by media giant
ABC/Capital Cities, Inc.
Write or call Mickey Luckoff, General Manager, and Jim Topping, Station
Manager, KSFO, 900 Front Street, San Francisco, CA 94111, tel. 415-398-5600
or 415-954-8100, fax 415-391-2795; Bob Iger, President, ABC/Capital cities,
77 West 66th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10023, tel. 212-456-7777, fax
212-456-1419, e-mail abcaudr@ccabc.com.
MEDIA BRIEFS
* TV Guidance . . . June 21, 1995, will mark the third annual "Day of
Compassion," as daytime dramas, talk shows and news programs make a
collaborative effort to role model compassion and promote understanding about
AIDS/HIV. For more information, contact GLAAD/National Field Office, 1130 SW
Morrison, Suite 607, Portland, OR 97205, tel. 503-224-5285, fax 503-224-5480,
e-mail drredwing@aol.com.
* Flying High . . . In 1993, FLYING Magazine, an aviation periodical,
refused to accept paid advertising from the National Gay Pilots Association
(NGPA). After many months of pressure, FLYING has retreated from its
homophobic stance and has agreed to accept an NGPA classified ad in the
"Flying Clubs" section of the magazine. Contact NGPA, Dept. N, P.O. Box
27542, Washington, DC 20038-7542, tel. 703-660-3852.
* Good News . . . The board of directors of the American Society of
Newspaper Editors (ASNE) has urged all wire services to add sexual
orientation to their company nondiscrimination policies. Formed in 1922, the
ASNE is a professional association that monitors journalistic practices and
standards.
* World Wide Women . . . The Lesbian Avengers of Berlin have established a
World Wide Web site. Internet users can access the site at
hhtp://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/students/zcacsst/LA.html.
* Sound Bites . . . Actor Wilson Cruz (who plays gay teen Rickie Vasquez
on "My So-Called Life"): "I just want to create a character that people can
relate to and maybe learn something from, just from watching him. . . .
There are people out in the Midwest or somewhere that have never seen or
heard of an openly gay person, and until they see them they'll be stuck in
that mindless ignorance. This is my chance to say, 'Hey, my name is Rickie
Vasquez, and I'm gay, and now you know me.' "
* Unsound Bites . . . Kenneth G. Morris, in his letter to the editor of
"The Detroit News": "Scott Amedure was not murdered because he was gay, he
was murdered because he was stalking a person." (Morris' letter was written
in response to a "Detroit News" op-ed, "No Excuses: The 'Jenny Jones' Murder
Was A Hate Crime," March 31).
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WE MUST CONFRONT THE MEDIA'S HOMOPHOBIA IN ORDER TO CURE IT! TO NOTIFY
GLAAD-SFBA OF ANY DEFAMATORY OR AFFIRMATIVE MEDIA COVERAGE CALL OUR 24-HOUR
MEDIA WATCH HOTLINE AT 415-861-4588, OR WRITE TO "MEDIA WATCH," GAY & LESBIAN
ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION-SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, 1360 MISSION STREET,
SUITE 200, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103; tel. 415-861-2244, fax 415-861-4893,
e-mail GLAADSFBA@AOL.COM.
FOUNDED IN 1988, THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CHAPTER OF GLAAD IS A
MEMBERSHIP-BASED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO CULTURAL ADVOCACY AND
MEDIA ACTIVISM. GLAAD-SFBA PROMOTES THE FAIR, ACCURATE AND DIVERSE
REPRESENTATION OF LESBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL LIVES IN ALL FORMS OF MASS MEDIA.
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